Our “Scratch List” (definitely not a Bucket List)

It’s always been a fun little exercise to dream up all the places in the world we want to visit – you know, what everyone calls a Bucket List. It kind of started when we were given a world map as a gift (thanks to Adam’s sister (and one of our biggest fans), Benita 😀). It’s one of those maps where you can actually scratch off the countries you’ve been to and of course it began as a bit of a competition. We want to get that whole darn map scratched in our lifetime.

We vehemently detest the term “Bucket List”. We’re not a couple of old men lamenting the wasted time in our lives. So for a while we were calling it a “(starts with f and rhymes with bucket) list”. We thought our grandparents probably wouldn’t approve of that. Instead, we now call it the “Scratch List”.

Some of the things on our Scratch List in no particular order:

Petra

While the urge to visit here may have had something to do with Indiana Jones originally, reading about and talking to people who have actually been has pushed this urge past pop culture fandom. Petra is an amazing ancient city carved into rock. It’s thousands of years old, incredibly ornate and remarkably mostly intact. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is in Jordan, not too far from the Dead Sea. We don’t know when we’ll get there, but we can’t wait to see the Rose City, especially as even more of it was just discovered this year by satellite.

Petra the Rose City

Machu Picchu

We’ve lost count of how many times we’ve prepared budgets for this trip (and have also lost the spreadsheets). Interstate moves, weddings and life’s busyness always seemed to get in the way of us heading to Peru. There’s something that’s always fascinated us both about Machu Picchu. It could be a general captivation with ancient civilisations, their culture and ability to achieve such incredible feats in architecture. It may also be because of the 80s cartoon series “Lost Cities of Gold”. Who knows. Either way, we’re determined to get there and soon.

The Lost City of Gold Machu Picchu

Angkor Wat

Scratch! One of the first things on the list to be crossed off was just last month (SO HAPPY!). Yes, another ancient city. This time there is no pop-culture reason for wanting to go. When Adam was travelling in Asia in 2003 people he met were talking about Angkor Wat as this amazing temple with intricate carvings on every wall. This prompted research upon returning home and once again became a must see spot. To have ticked it off the list was cathartic.

Sunrise over Angkor Wat #lensflare

Northern/Southern Lights

A natural wonder of the world, and yes on everybody’s list. Of course we want to see Aurora Borealis and / or Aurora Australis. What a fascinating phenomenon. Radiation from the sun interacting with our atmosphere. Who wouldn’t want to see that? We don’t care if it is north or south (although Adam always talks about an Antarctica trip), we just want to see it.

Hell yeah, remember Aurora…

Oktoberfest

This has been on Melissa’s list since before legal drinking age having studied German in school, and probably for Adam, since birth. These two beer fans cannot WAIT to hit the Beer Halls in Munich this year, and luckily for us, we have a friend, who’s not only a local, but a published author (Oktoberfest on a Budget) on all things Oktoberfest who will be showing us the ropes. Stay tuned, that should be an interesting blog post later this year… but give us a few days’ recovery. Those Steins will surely pack a punch.

Does that beige-jacketed woman have a Stein for a head?

Monet’s Garden – Giverny

After seeing Claude Monet’s breathtaking Water Lilies at the Musée de l’Orangerie in 2014, it only ignited the desire to see the source of inspiration. This plays out in fantasy as an overnight trip from Paris to Giverny on a warm Spring day. We’ll tour the gorgeous gardens, maybe be inspired to recreate a little piece in watercolour of our own, then settle to watch the colours change in the late afternoon, enjoying some fromage and a cheeky Bordeaux white wine.

Imagining a balmy afternoon in Giverny

Lagavulin Scotch Distillery in Scotland

Another alcohol related one, but there is some professional curiosity linked to this one too. As a food technologist Adam has an interest in commercial production sites. They’ve been producing whisky on site in Islay since 1816. Do they also happen to make one of his favourite Scotch Whiskies? Yes. But that is just a bonus. Really, a complete coincidence.

Blue Whales off the coast of Sri Lanka

A recent entry to the list. Whales are fascinating, there’s no doubt about that. Having seen humpbacks off the coast of Queensland at home in Australia makes your heart skip a beat. While we’ve constantly remarked how amazing it would be to see a Blue Whale, the largest animal to ever inhabit the Earth, we didn’t think it possible. However, when sharing a drink with some new friends in Chiang Mai (#nomadlifeperks) we were told that it’s possible to see them in waters surrounding Sri Lanka. It immediately made the list.

This must be underwater love. Image c/o bluewhales.org

The list goes on…

Watch Shakespeare performed in the Globe Theatre

Listen to Jazz in New Orleans

Make wine in Tuscany

Go on Safari in Africa

See the Great Pyramids & Sphinx in Giza

So. Many. More. We’re just glad we quit our jobs so we could attempt some of these in bulk 😉 We’ll come back and update some of the stock images with our own if we manage it.

How’s your scratch list coming along?

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2 Comments

Pretty cool scratch list guys. I too detest the “bucket list”. It almost like “we need to complete our bucket list in case we die soon” 😂 I would one day love to do Oktoberfest and the blue whales in Sri Lanka would be unreal. Anyway, hope you guys are great and having a magic time. Cheers Shotsa

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